Creativity :)

This week in English 1101, we read Barry's "Two Questions."  It spoke on how writers are often plagued by the two questions, "Is this good?" and "Does this suck?" and how that differs from simply letting your ideas flow freely, no matter their attributed quality.

The previous week we viewed this video, "Creativity Takes Time," showing through an experiment with children how creative we can be when we're not on a time crunch. 

Lately, I've been witnessing these two every day with my little brother, Samuel.  He is in the fifth grade, and is a little boy genius...except for the fact that he can't spell!  I've been trying to help him study for his weekly spelling tests, but also just to spend time with him and play around.  At first I was simply trying to get him more interesting in it, but now I really enjoy it too! We fell into this habit of making up little stories to remind him how to spell a given word and what it means. Some would be short like the one we made for the word "denim..."

There once was a baby lion in denim jean pants

who walked up to a man sitting in the corner

and said, "Hey Daniel,"

"I'm in a den!"

...and so, denim.  Others were long drawn out stories connecting multiple words like the one we invented for "society" and "vital..." This one is always told with a funny accent and always acted out! This is the much abridged version.... :)

There once was a big man named V. 

Like a giiiaant V! ..and he always thought he was sooo tough.

Everyday after school he would beat up on poor little I.

I said to V, "Man you are soo tall, but since you are mean,

I'm going to have to take away your last l...

Meanwhile, E, who lived in the country,

Heard of the violence going on in the urban society,

And so he thought it was vital to move

Into the middle of the city.

 

so-ci-e-ty: "e" in the middle of the "city," and v-i-tal: "tall" minus an "l"... Get it? Some of these end up being plotless stories, others just a simple play on words, but some of them turn out really creative.  It's exactly like Barry's "Two Questions."  When it doesn't really matter what it turns out being in the end, we can be free to truly come up with anything, and we do!

 

 

 

This can also be tied back to the video, "Creativity Takes Time." Because of our schedules, on Wednesdays we are always hard pressed for time.  When we only have the ten minutes before he goes to bed, we try to hurry through them, and the little characters don't have time to aimlessly wander about until they find that grand adventure. It is definitely much more fun when we have a whole hour to make up stories for eight words.
When we have time and have conquered the fear of accidently making a "bad" story, we set ourselves free to dream up crazy things and to have fun with the people we love.

Speak Right!

When I was young, I used to try to imitate the accents of the people around me, and my parents would quickly chime in, "Speak right!"  Even today this command is echoed in my mind as I hear it voiced toward my younger brother.  But what is correct speech? And who decides it?

This week in English 1101, we have been looking at what many would call, "improper" language.  We read Anzaldua's "How to Train a Wild Tongue," a bilingual narrative about her struggles with living on una frontera cultural. She gives her account in an unconventional way that both English and Spanish speakers would find difícil para entender a veces. Experimenting with her style of writing, I interchanged languages on the fish bone assignment...

We also looked at two other pieces written in an unusual way: Davis's "Foucault and Pencil" and Kincaid's "Girl." The first was a moment by moment account of reading a book and her resulting confusion and the second was a terse list of commands. I remember being struck by our professor's admiration for them, as they both seemed abrasively simple and unflattering.  Yet I played with this second technique too:

          Eat your broccoli.  Do your homework. Get good grades.  Drive Safe. Where are you going? Don't procrastinate. Exercise. Have fun. Sing. Sing quieter. Turn down the radio. Get all A's. Come here. Go there. No come back here. Take out the trash. Help your brother with his spelling words. Help him quieter. Do the dishes. You want to go where? Talk to your mother. Where? Talk to your father. Wait. Watch this movie with us. Clean the shower. Open the windows. Your homework done? Paint. Turn down the radio. Mop the kitchen. Turn down the radio more.

 

 

I've enjoyed playing with these different types of writing.  Although I wouldn't consider employing any one of them on a regular basis, I find it interesting that each one has a time and a place where it can be used to better explain a situation.  For example, one can see how someone might write using the latter style when frustrated by the incessant commands of an authoritative figure.  Using this approach, one can even emphasize the presence and recurring nature of certain demands. I laughed when I noticed that they used it in this car commercial... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOclC9bbeQU

 

Through Anzaldua's writing methodology of switching languages, we, as readers, are given a special glimpse at her internal battle for self identity between the two cultures.  These different manners of writing, although strange and perhaps "improper," help to voice their writer's perspective quite clearly.

 

So why do we quickly dismiss these as "wrong?" Certainly if one of these pieces would have been submitted for the writing test it would receive low scores, but why? Who decides what English is proper and improper? My best guess is that it is set by the educated and respected class of the day. Those to whom the younger generation looks up to.  I have been reading a book for one of my other classes which talks about the African American struggle for inclusion in America, post Emancipation. Many of them strove after education, hoping it would be the great equalizer.  In their petitions to the presidents at the time, Lincoln and Johnson, you can tell by their phraseology and allusions that they extensively studied the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and the Bible, the three documents that held authority across the board. When we want respect, we speak and write like the respected. This is seen in how we speak to professors, managers, or how we write applications for scholarships and jobs.  I may be wrong, but I think the successful and prosperous writers inadvertently decide the "rights and wrongs" for writing, simply based on what they did to become successful. We look up to them, and the way they do things quickly becomes our standard from which to judge "proper" and "improper."

 

Lit Dig... My Bedroom.

The homework from Tuesday's English 1101 class was to perform a "literacy dig" on a place where we spend a good portion of our time. I chose my room, glancing around for any items that have affected my literacy over the years, for better or worse. This is what I found.

Literacy Dig of Occupant's Living Quarters.

Object 1. Sticky Notes.

Found on four out of the five walls, these blue, teal, and purple sticky notes serve as decoration for the monotone walls, but also as constant reminders of the occupant's favorite bible verses. They are also found on the window frame, door, and mirror. A definite proponent of literacy.


Object 2. Cat.

This domesticated feline is pushy, slightly overweight, and has an innate talent for extended staring contests. It should be noted that whenever attention is directed to anything other than this subject, she becomes jealous, often doing whatever it takes to disrupt the given distraction. Upon any sort of reading she will seat herself upon the book, and while typing, lie down upon the keyboard, inciting mass havoc. A leading adversary to any literary progress.






Object 3. Dry Erase Boards.

Within the examined space, there has been observed two dry erase boards, cluttered with colored messages of all sorts. These have been written upon the discretion of the occupant, for daily reminder and gradual memorization. The given contents are always colorful, always changing, and the board is always full. The attractive colors and freedom to various handwriting styles make it an instigator of literary advancement.

Object 4. Stuffed Animal.

This seemingly neutral figure has been found to be an inspiration towards proficiency in the Spanish language. Given to the occupant by a friend who witnessed Jeff Coon's Puppy flowering sculpture outside of the Guggenheim Museum on a mission trip to Bilbao, Spain. It serves as a reminder of the passion for foreign language and the wide array of incredible places it may take one. A sure advocate of literacy.

Object 5. Alto Saxophone.



This supporter of literacy is incognito, taking on the guise of a musical instrument. It pushes its agenda through the interpretation of symbols as notes, rhythms, and expressions. Its owner plays it habitually, not recognizing its biased stance on the matter. Mastery of this instrument would also indicate mastery of musical literacy. It too supports the study of foreign language, but only minimally, as all notes to the musician are in Italian. A subtle, yet influential proponent of the occupant's literacy.

Friends and Typewriters

This was my "Writing into the Day," a daily written response to a video, story or poem in English 1101.  As inspiration, we watched "Typewriter," a short film about a man resigning from his job.

At first, I had absolutely no idea what to write about!  After watching this video, I was so suprised to look around and see the other students scribbling away their ideas.  My head was completely empty.  I thought back to the video, searching for any possible plot line or hidden themes, but found none.  I didn't want to think; in the same way you hesitate before jumping into a still pool, not wanting to break the peace.

My mind began to wander back to the music.  It was soft, almost sung in a whisper, and very calming - perhaps it was the reason my thoughts were so quiet.  I sing like that sometimes, when I am sad and the tune within me just doesn't have the strength enough but to drift out in a whisper... or while doing dishes in the kitchen after a long day, too exhausted to sing full force. 

It was truly touching when another voice chimmed in, singing in the same manner.  The song before emmited a spirit of loneliness, but now there were two carrying this melody.  Although the second voice immitated the emotion of the first, the song was markedly different.  As the harmonies meandered along, tranquilly intertwining amongst each other, I realized that this is what friendship was made to be like.  How sweet it is to have someone who will not respond to your worries with a curt but well-meaning, "Cheer up!" but who listens sympathetically, empathizing with whatever struggle you're facing.  That same person will be the one you go to when something great happens, and you want someone else to share in your joy.  This song gives us a picture of a true friend, one that will "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn."